Live Like She's (Not) Dying
by Matthais Unidostres
Summary: In this PAW Patrol comedy, while Jake and Ryder are away at a comic convention with a strict "no dogs allowed" policy, a misunderstanding leads the other six pups to think that Everest only has 24 hours to live! Can the pups make it so that Everest's last 24 hours on Earth are the happiest ones of her entire life? Can they keep her from suspecting that anything is wrong?
1. Prologue

**_This story has been brought to you in part by the brilliant PAW Patrol fanfic author HavocHound. Please give his stories a read. He gave me the idea for this story, so I hope you all like it._**

 ** _Also, keep in mind that this is a COMEDY!_**

* * *

 **Live Like She's (Not) Dying**

 **Prologue**

 _This is the story of how I lost the love of my life. . ._

 _No wait, that's waaaay too cheesy._

 _Umm. . . this is the story of how my heart got broken- NO! That's wrong too! That makes it sounds like it's her fault!_

 _Okay, okay, okay; I guess I'd better just give it to you straight._

 _This is the story of how my girlfriend died after I told her I loved her. . ._

 _Wow, it sounds even sadder when I say it like that-_

 _"Oh, come on Marshall! Tell them the story!"_

 _I don't know, Everest. I mean, the whole thing is **really** embarrassing._

 _"But they deserve to know! Besides. . . I think it was sweet. . . everything you all did for me."_

 _Really? Well. . . okay then. I guess I really should just get on with it already._

 _"That's better, Marshall."_

 _Yeah. Alright, so, the story actually begins about one week earlier . . ._

* * *

Jake and Ryder stood holding onto the handles of rolling suitcases, standing with their backs to the train pulling into the station. Seven pups stood across for them, here to see them off on their trip. Jake and Ryder were going off to Comic Con in New York, and would be away for about a week. Two of the pups really, really, really, _really_ wanted to go with them. But it turned out the dreaded "no dogs allowed" rule kept any of the pups from going with them.

If you know anything about Rubble, then you can probably imagine how disappointed Rubble was. He is _seriously_ the biggest Apollo the Super Pup fan alive, and word is that Apollo would be there in person.

"Remember! Apollo's pawtograph! Get it for me! Don't forget!" Rubble said enthusiastically.

"Don't worry, Rubble. I'll be sure to get one for you," Ryder said assuredly with a smile.

Rubble had already gotten over his disappointment, and he was satisfied and trusted in Ryder's promise.

Everest was the other pup who really, really, really, _really_ wanted to go with them.

"I really am gonna miss you, Jake . . ." Everest said with the tiniest bit of regret in her voice, although she made sure to keep smiling.

Jake looked fondly at his pup and said, "Well, I've gotta say, I'm gonna miss you too, Everest."

Everest wagged her tail and said, "Don't worry about me, Jake. Have tons of fun at the convention so you can tell us all about it. Bring back lots of souvenirs."

The train ground to a halt, and the doors opened.

"Well, it looks like its time to get going," Ryder said, "All of you be good pups now."

Chase saluted and said, "Yes, sir, Ryder, sir! We'll keep Adventure Bay safe and sound, like always."

The pups were all a bit surprised, except for maybe Skye who just smiled as if expecting it, when Everest suddenly ran up to give Jake one last hug goodbye. Jake seemed to enjoy it as he gently hugged Everest and petted her.

"Don't you worry, Everest. We won't be apart forever," Jake said cheerily, almost in a joking manner. Everest just had to let out a merry chuckle in response.

Jake and Everest let go of each other, and Jake said to the rest of us pups, "You guys take good care of Everest."

Marshall looked at Everest's back, her pretty fuzzy tail catching his attention. Marshall reigned in his emotions and said confidently, "We sure will, Jake."

Skye laughed and flipped joyfully, "Don't worry a bit! Everest will have a blast staying with us!"

The pups all shared a laugh from Skye's enthusiasm, and Ryder nodded and said, "I'm sure the pups will make Everest feel right at home at the Lookout, Jake. They're all such good pups."

Jake petted Everest one last time, and then he and Ryder got on board the train, waving and saying goodbye. The pups ran along the platform alongside the train for a bit, barking and howling their own goodbyes in return. Within a matter of minutes, the train was out of sight.

Everest sighed, "See you soon, Jake."

Rubble sighed, "All that Apollo merch . . ."

Zuma and Rocky chuckled silently together at Rubble's comment.

Marshall walked over to the husky's side and said, "So, Everest, I was thinking. . . I can maybe teach you the _Pup Pup Boogie_ tailspin-."

Suddenly, all of the pup's tags lit up and blinked, beeping to signal that a call was coming.

Chase quickly took charge and pressed his tag. "PAW Patrol. Chase, here," he answered professionally.

 _"Oh, pups, there's an emergency at Town Hall!"_ came Mayor Goodway's panicked voice, _"A car's tire blew out, and it lost control and spun up and onto the Town Hall steps! I'm afraid that the gas tank could go **kaboom!** "_

"I'm _sure_ that won't happen, Mayor Goodway. Cars only explode that easily in the movies," Chase said reassuringly, "Tell the drive not to worry either. No job is too big. No pup is too small!" Chase then directed his attention to the other pups and declared confidently, looking very proud of and gratified with what he was doing right now, "PAW Patrol, to the Lookout!"

The pups all barked and howled as they ran in the direction of the Lookout.

Chase rang along with them, pouting slightly as he said under his breath, "What, no _'Chase needs us!'_?"

Marshall was too busy thinking to notice what Chase was muttering. _"I guess Pup Pup Boogie with Everest will have to wait,"_ he though with slight disappointment, _"Oh well. We've got a job to do. But I can't wipe out in the elevator this time. Not with Everest here to watch. Don't wipe out. Don't wipe out. Don't wipe out. . . ."_

* * *

 _. . . And believe it or not, I actually **didn't** wipe out. I know, I couldn't believe it myself. But as it turned out, whether or not I wiped out in the elevator or was even first in the elevator would soon be the least of my worries. Because six days later, Chase and I ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time._

 _"It depends on how you look at it, Marshall."_

 _Well, you got to admit things got pretty weird for you at the end of all this._

 _"Well, maybe it was worth it!"_

 _. . .You know, maybe you're right. . ._


	2. 24 Hours and Counting

**24 Hours and Counting**

 _So, Everest's pup house was parked right next to the Lookout during her stay with us. And I did get to try to teach her that tailspin. It, um, didn't really work out all that well. But it turns out she's really good at it, somehow. Anyway, everyone had a bit more fun with Everest around for those six days. We went on a few rescues, but they were nothing major. Things were pretty much normal with Chase and Skye to make sure we all got up in the morning. It wasn't until that last day before Jake and Ryder came back that things took a major turn. Kind of like a really bad misstep on Pup Pup Boogie . . ._

* * *

Katie got up from her seat at Mr. Porter's restaurant. She had decided to treat herself to a nice early breakfast on such a beautiful morning,and it was no secret that Mr. Porter served good food. She was on her way back to her shop to open up for the day, when she ran into none other than Mayor Goodway. The mayor was wearing a standard jogging outfit complete with a sweatband. However she still held her purse over her left shoulder, presumably with Chickletta inside of it.

"Good morning, Mayor Goodway," Katie greeted cheerfully.

"And a very good morning to you, Katie," the mayor replied, looking to be in a good mood herself, "It certainly a morning to be up and about on, most certainly.

"It sure is. I'm lucky that I didn't oversleep today. I stayed up a little late to catch that episode of _Game of Thrones,"_ Katie explained.

The mayor just scoffed and said "Oh, all those new sensationalized television shows. I certainly miss the good old days of television. You youngsters don't know what you're missing."

"Well . . ." Katie began, but the mayor quickly cut in without missing a beat.

"Why, just last week I was talking with Jake about this. Can you believe that he had never heard of _The Honeymooners_?" Mayor Goodway asked as if such a thing were beyond the laws of physics.

"Umm . . . don't they play a marathon of that old show during New Year's?" Katie replied with limited certainty.

The mayor sighed, "Oh dear . . . well, maybe I'm just being a little _too_ nostalgic, but that really was a funny and entertaining show. The first episode that comes to mind, and this is nearly exactly what I told Jake a while ago by the way, I said to him 'the first episode that comes to mind is _A Matter of Life and Death,_ where Ralph Kramden, that's the name of the main character, thinks he's dying from this disease called _Arterial Monochromia_. . .'"

* * *

Rubble wouldn't have noticed that the small hammer he always carried on his Pup Pack had fallen off if Chase hadn't made all the pups do a quick equipment check that morning. Not wanting everyone to go running around Adventure Bay all willy-nilly, especially so early in the morning, Chase decided that he would just go ahead and retrace the pups' steps yesterday and sniff the hammer out double quick. Marshall, ever full of energy, insisted on coming with him, boasting playfully that he could find it first. So, Marshall ran next to Chase he sniffed away in search of the hammer.

Chase looked up form his sniffing and said, "I got this Marshall. I don't need any help."

Marshall grinned and said, "Then why are you going the wrong way? Rubble wasn't even wearing his Pup Pack when we were at Katie's. It must have fallen off at Mr. Porter's."

"When you tripped over nothing and bumped into him?" Chase said teasingly.

Marshall blushed and said, "I didn't trip over nothing. Grapes are not nothing."

Chase laughed as he followed Marshall over to Mr. Porters. Within a few minutes they had arrived at the back of the store, and Chase's nose led the pair of pups to the front of the store and straight to where the hammer had fallen: underneath the fruit stand.

Chase and Marshall crawled under the wooden structure to retrieve the hammer, and they were completely unnoticed by Mayor Goodway and Katie, who were still having their conversation just a few feet away. The two pups knew that eavesdropping was wrong, but they weren't doing it on purpose, and would have come out and made their presence known by saying hi if the conversation hadn't taken a grizzly turn.

". . . so the German Boxer breed usually gets this . . . _Arterial Monochromia_ thing from scratching for fleas?" Katie asked.

" _Usually_ Boxers. That's what the vet's report said," Mayor Goodway said. She stopped and thought for a moment, and then said in a low, uneasy voice, "Hmm. You know, it probably wasn't much of a comfort, talking to Jake about something like this. Everest only got over her nasty case of fleas two weeks ago."

The Dalmatian and German Shepherd exchanged glance. No pup likes fleas, and the entire PAW Patrol gave their sympathies to poor Everest two weeks ago. That flea attack had put her in a really sour mood. She hated the itching, she hated the flea collar, and she _really_ hated the "Cone of Shame" Marshall made her wear when things got really bad. Everyone was glad to see Everest go back to her normal cheerful self after the fleas were finally gotten rid of. But according to the mayor and that vet's report Jake apparently got recently, it looked like Everest's troubles _still_ weren't over.

"What's Arterial Mono- _whatsit?_ " Marshall asked in a soft whisper.

Chase put a paw to his mouth and shushed his friend, and then pointed to Mayor Goodway and Katie.

Katie shuddered, "Yeah. It doesn't exactly make you feel good, if you know what I mean. How long did you say it was?"

"24 hours to live," the mayor replied.

Both Chase and Marshall's jaws dropped.

"Hmmm. So, what did Jake say?" Katie asked.

"Well," Mayor Goodway replied, spreading her hands wide as if revealing the obvious, "It wasn't exactly very positive considering, well, you know. . . Everest . . . scratching for fleas . . . dog disease . . . sick and dying dog."

Chase turned to look at Marshall, and he felt his stomach churn when he saw her. The Dalmatian looked absolutely devastated, his face looking only seconds away from bursting into heartbroken sobs.

Katie nodded, "Right. No way is that a very nice subject matter to have a conversation about, especially considering how much Jake cares about Everest."

The mayor nodded gravely, "Oh yes indeed. You know, I'd probably feel the same way if it were a chicken disease we were talking about."

Chickletta popped her out of the mayor's purse and squawked. The mayor pet her purse chicken softly before continuing.

"Anyway, I got the feeling that Jake didn't want to talk about it or even think about it, especially while Everest was around. And given the circumstances, and now that I've thought about it, I can't help but agree with him."

"Well, Jake is off at that Comic Con with Ryder now. That'll keep him from thinking about it, for sure," Katie said. Then she drifted into some silent thought for a moment, and then continued, "And maybe it's best that Everest not know about this episode, considering, well, what you said."

"Oh yes, same goes for the other pups," Mayor Goodway said with certainty, "A disease that horrible, just from scratching. Oh dear, that would ruin their day!"

"That's true, and ruining their day is the last thing we'd want to do. And everyone just loves Everest so much, especially Jake." Katie sighed with nostalgia and smiled. "You should've seen the look on his face when he shopping for pet supplies for her a while ago," Katie recounted with a pleasant tone, "I just happened to run into him at the store, and it just made my day. He just looked so happy and excited as he picked out a pair of food and water bowls, then a bag of those liver treats Everest loves so much, and then some toys and a nice bed for her. And he kept saying things like _'I've got a new best friend'_ and _'Everest is gonna feel right at home with me.'_ Meeting Everest has gotta be the best thing to ever happen to Jake."

Katie frowned, "Come to think of it, this whole Arterial Monochromia thing probably affected him far more than you think, given the circumstances. . ." Katie said seriously, but then she gave a small smile and said, "But I'm sure a trip to the New York Comic Con at Javits Center will keep him from thinking about . . . _that._ "

"Mmmhmm. And perhaps when he comes back, he might, in fact, we _all_ might be able to talk about this and muster up a little bit of _acceptance. . .hmmmmm?_ " Mayor Goodway said expectantly.

Katie sighed, "Well, okay. Fine then. It would kinda be immature to ignore it just because. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to wait until Jake and Ryder come home tomorrow morning."

"Yes, certainly. You have a good day now, dear."

"You too, Mayor Goodway."

The pair then went on their separate ways, blissfully unaware that they had been eavesdropped on.

After traveling some distance, Mayor Goodway stopped and said, "Oops! I just remembered, Ralph thought he had _six months_ to live, not 24 hours . . . oh well, no matter. It's just television comedy show."

Meanwhile, Chase and Marshall just lay underneath the fruit stand, looking completely and utterly shocked.

"I can't believe it," Chase said finally.

Marshall suddenly jumped up and said, "IT'S NOT- _OWWW!_ " Marshall had jumped up so quickly that he bumped his head on the underside of the fruit stand. "It's not fair," he whimpered.

Chase placed a paw on Marshall's back and said slowly, "Calm down, Marshall-."

"We can't keep calm! Didn't you hear what they said!" Marshall exclaimed.

"Of course I did! That's why we have to keep calm!" Chase said harshly, "Panicking just makes things worse. How do you think things would work out if we both ran back yelling and screaming and shouting? How do you think that would make _Everest_ feel?"

Marshall's eyes widened, and he whimpered sadly, "You're right Chase. Everest would be so scared and upset. That's probably why Jake couldn't tell her."

Chase hung his head and said, "Poor Jake. He couldn't even bear to see it happen. He had to leave. He'll probably talk to Ryder about it on the plane ride back. Then when they come back we'll all . . ."

Chase's voice trailed off miserably. Both pups sat there in mournful silence for a moment, then Marshall gained a look of determination and boldly declared, "I say we make Everest's last day of her life the best day of her life!"

Chase looked at his suddenly fired up friend, and then smiled, "That's a great idea, Marshall! We'll have to get the rest of the pups to help too. We better hurry, we don't have much time left! Come on!"

Chase and Marshall ran out from under the fruit stand and off to the Lookout. A few seconds later, Chase came back and picked up Rubble's hammer with his mouth and turned to head towards the Lookout.

* * *

Back at the Lookout, Skye had just finished leading the rest of the pups in morning Yoga.

Everest breathed out, looking very much at peace at the experience. "Ahhh . . . that always feels so good. Jake and I should start doing Yoga every morning too! It might make him a bit better at belly-bogganing."

Zuma nudged Everest playfully and smiled, "But not as good as you, wight?"

With a twinkle in her eye, Everest smiled and said, "Yep!"

The pups laughed a bit at this, but then Skye sighed and said, "What's taking Chase so long? I hope Marshall isn't slowing him down."

"Here we are!" Marshall called out.

The pups all turned to see Marshall and Chase running towards them. No one noticed the secret subtle nod they gave to each other, which was the signal for the plan they had come up with on the way back. Marshall put a little extra pep in his running, and directed himself right towards Everest.

"WHOOOOA!" Marshall shouted a little louder than usual, and he appeared to randomly trip and proceeded to roll right into the grayish-lavender Husky.

"Oops," Marshall said nervously as he lay sprawled out on top of Everest, "Sorry."

Everest chuckled and said, "Don't worry. I've had five days to get used to this!"

"Alright, you found my hammer!" Rubble cheered when he saw Chase.

Chase dropped the hammer to the ground and said, "It was at Mr. Porter's store, under the fruit stand."

Chase then turned to Marshall and gave him another quick secret nod.

Marshall understood, and said to Everest as he got off of her, "I -uh- think I should give you a quick check up. That was a big wipe out, so I should really check."

Everest nodded and replied good-naturedly, "Don't worry, I feel fine. I'm not hurt or any-."

"It's better to be safe than sorry," Marshall said quickly, looking very nervous about what he was trying to do, "I _really should_ give you a check-up. Just to be safe."

Everest stared at Marshall in confusion. "Marshall, is everything al-."

"Just doing my job!" Marshall said quickly with an awkwardly forced smiled.

Chase brought over Rubble's hammer and said, "You can put this back for Rubble while you're there."

Marshall nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah! Sure! Thanks Chase. Come on, Everest!"

Everest, as well as the rest of the pups, gave Marshall some queer looks as the Dalmatian picked up the hammer with his mouth and practically dragged Everest into the Lookout.

"That was weiwd," Zuma remarked.

Sky turned to Chase and said, "Ummm. . . is everything alright with Marshall?"

Chase turned very serious and very grave real fast. So fast that it caused all the other pups to gain worried expressions.

"No, Skye. Everything _isn't_ alright. But Marshall isn't the one with the problem," Chase said.

Rubble whimpered sadly and asked, "What do you mean, Chase."

Chase closed his eyes. He knew that he had to be the one to do this. He was the leader when Ryder wasn't around, after all. But that didn't make this nay easier. Chase realized that he had to just come out and say it quick, or he just might loose his nerve.

"Everest," he began, "She - she's dying."

"WHAT!?" Skye piratically screamed.

"Chase, that's crazy!" Rocky protested, "She's perfectly healthy."

"On the outside, maybe," Chase said sadly as he turned away sadly.

"I don't believe it! No way is Everest gonna. . . she. . . this isn't a funny joke, Chase!" Rubble said angrily with a heavy pout.

"It's from when she had that bad flea attack two weeks ago," Chase explained, making his tone as serious as possible, "All that scratching, we couldn't catch it in time, and she got this really bad disease from it. It's been eating her from the inside out, so we couldn't see it-."

"Who told you she's gonna die!?" Skye demanded angrily. Everyone jumped at this. They were now witnessing a side of Skye they had never seen before, her angry side. "Who told you!? Who!?"

"Mayor Goodway and Katie!" Chase shouted back, all the pain and frustration he had been holding in starting to finally come out, "Marshall and I overheard them talking about it. Jake told Mayor Goodway about it a few days ago, before Jake left with Ryder. They decided that it would be better if . . . we didn't know . . ."

Skye opened and closed her mouth a few times, her eyes wide and yet opening and closing and looking around as she intermittently leaned forward as if to say something. She seemed to be having trouble comprehending what she was being told.

Rocky gulped and said, "How - h-how long does she-?"

"24 hours," Chase said quickly, as if spitting out a chocolate truffle.

Everyone gasped in utter horror and disbelief.

Skye shook her head in denial and said, "No! No, no, no! That can't be true! Why would Jake leave her at a time like this?"

"Because some people just can't handle death, Skye! Especially when it's someone they love!" Chase shot back with a little more ferocity than he wanted. He was still having trouble reining in his emotions. "Jake loves Everest. They're the closest of friends. They complete each other. Katie said that meeting Everest was the best thing that could ever happen to Jake, and I'd say vice-versa is true too. Anyway, he just couldn't stand being there to see his best friend in the world die. They've saved each others lives for crying out loud! Maybe it wasn't the best choice, but the fact is that Jake just can't handle death, so he ran. Call it denial, but when you really think about it, you can't really blame him for not wanting to see her just . . . stop. . ."

Chase sighed and said, "Before Jake left, he told her that they won't be apart forever . . . I guess _technically_ , that's true. . ."

Everyone's thoughts were interrupted by Rubble's loud sobs. He fell onto his belly and shed tears of grief onto the grass.

"H-H-How was J-Jake able to l-l-l-look so h-happy when he l-left!" Rubble choked out through his tears.

Chase had an answer at the ready, "He didn't want Everest to know that she was going to die. And neither do we! If Everest knew, she'd be depressed. Or she could become really angry. Who knows what she'd do. But it won't be good. She'd spend the last moments of her life _miserable_. Jake didn't want her to go through that, so he acted like nothing was wrong so that she could live the rest of her life happy and without a sword dangling over her head. And now that we know the truth, we have to do what we can to set things right!"

"Set things right? How? Can we cure her?" Rocky asked in both hope and bewilderment.

Chase shook his head, "If there was a cure, Jake would've done whatever it took to get it, so there isn't one." Chase lifted his head high and began pacing back and forth in front of his friends as if he were a drill sergeant addressing some new recruits, "But Marshall had it figured out. We're going to make Everest's last day the best day of her life. Each of us will come up with something special for Everest. We'll each give her 3 or 4 hours or so of the best, most fun, most memorable, most life changing, most exhilarating, most awesome experiences we can give to her. We're all gonna have to dig deep, share a few secrets, take a few risks- _reasonable risks_ of course. We need to do whatever it takes to make this day the _best. day. ever_ for Everest. She's an amazing rescue pup and an even better friend, so we have to show her how much we care about her. Are you pups willing to do that?"

"YES!" came a strong reply, even from the weeping Rubble.

"Good. So for starters, _Rubble, stop crying!"_ Chase barked at the gentle bulldog.

Rubble jumped and stared at Chase with wide eyes.

"If Everest sees you crying, she'll know that something's wrong!" Chase said furiously.

Rubble just sniffed and continued to whimper.

Skye glared at Chase, and then walked over to Rubble. She nuzzled him gently and said, "There, there now, Rubble. Look at it this way. Everest is gonna have the best day of her life today." Skye touched her paw to Rubble's chest and said excitedly, "And _you're_ gonna help make it happen! Don't think about the ending. Think about what you're gonna do to make Everest smile the biggest smile Adventure Bay has ever seen!"

Rubble was actually smiling a little now. He quickly dried his tears with his paw and nodded determinedly, "You're right, Skye. I gotta focus. I'm doing this for Everest!"

Chase felt fully ashamed of his unprofessional attitude. He looked sorrowfully at Rubble and said, "I'm sorry I yelled like that. I really am. I just . . . wish this didn't have to happen."

"It's okay, Chase," Rubble said sadly, "We're all really sad about . . . everything. . ."

"Yeah, dude," Zuma said, "This weally _stinks_."

"Poor Everest. Poor Jake," Rocky said in a depressed tone.

Skye walked over to Chase, and she nuzzled him in a manned even more tender and sweet than she did to Rubble. "We'll get through this together," she said softly, clearly forgiving him for his yelling at Rubble.

Chase felt himself blushing hard, and he cleared his throat and took a quick sideways step from Skye, albeit begrudgingly, and said, "Okay, so Marshall and Everest will be coming out of the Lookout any second now, so we need to figure out the order of things. Marshall's gonna go last-."

"Ooooohhhhh," Skye said with a sly grin.

"What?" Zuma asked.

"Oh nothing. . . but I _really_ think I should go second to last," Skye said knowingly with an even slier wink.

Chase decided to trust Skye's instincts, and he nodded, "Okay then. Now, who's gonna go first?"

* * *

 _And so, while I kept Everest busy up in the Lookout, the others pups set up the plan to give Everest the best day ever._

 _"If someone had told me that day was going to be my best day ever I would have growled like a wolf at them."_

 _Why?_

 _"Why? Marshall, you chased me around the Changing Room and the Observatory with the Cone of Shame, almost wrapped me up like a mummy with bandages, and then got us both buried under an avalanche of Pup Packs while trying to put Rubble's hammer back!"_

 _. . .Can you really say you didn't have any fun during all that?_

 _". . . .no . . . I wouldn't say that. . . he-he-he. . ."_


	3. 3 Hours With Rocky

A/N: Rocky's character is a little tricky for me to write for, so let me know how I did.

 **3 Hours With Rocky**

 _So I finally took Everest out of the Lookout, where pup number one was waiting for us. I still don't know exactly what he had planned for Everest, and I doubt any of us ever will, except for Everest of course. I got a feeling that Rocky share a real big secret with her. . ._

* * *

"I told you I was alright, Marshall," Everest said as she walked a very nervous Dalmatian next to her.

Marshall smiled sheepishly and said, "Well, yeah, but it's just better to be safe than sorry."

Everest sighed, "Oh, Marshall. Hey, where did everyone go?"

Everest looked around to see that all the pups were gone from the front yard except for Rocky. The mixed breed eco pup waved cheerily at Everest and said, "Hey there, Everest! How you feeling?"

Everest looked around suspiciously and said, "Uh, I feel fine, like I kept saying. But where did everyone go? Is there an emergency?"

Rocky shook his head quickly and said, "Oh, um, no. nothing like that. They're just going on a quick patrol. Yeah, just to make sure that Adventure Bay is safe. They're just looking for hazards and stuff. They've got in under control. I just stood behind to show you something."

"Oh. Okay," Everest said, looking quite curious.

"I, uh, better go on patrol too!" Marshall said, and he quickly ran off towards the Pup Park, "See you guys later!"

Everest walked over to Rocky and said cheerfully, "Where are we gonna go patrolling at today?"

Rocky looked around nervously, as if to make sure they weren't being watched.

"What are you looking around for?" Everest asked.

Rocky motioned with his paw for Everest to come closer. Everest leaned in towards him, and then Rocky said in a low voice, "We're not gonna go patrolling, Everest."

Everest blinked, "Huh?"

"5 pups are enough to cover all of Adventure Bay. My shift comes later, so right now we're free," Rocky explained in the same low tone.

"Okay. But why are we whispering?" Everest asked.

Rocky smiled smugly and made a motion with his paw for her to follow him, "I'll show you."

Rocky led Everest to his pup house, and he quickly entered. Everest heard Rocky move some things about, as well as few beeps and clicking sounds. Soon enough, Rocky came out holding a tiny black cloth pouch in his teeth. Rocky set the pouch on the ground and opened the drawstring.

"Take a good sniff of that," Rocky said.

Curious as to where this was going, Everest went over to the pouch and sniffed at its contents. Her ears suddenly stood up like twin signals, and her tail wagged with a bit of extra pep. Everest practically shoved her nose into the back as she inhaled the glorious scent coming out of it.

Before long, Everest had to come up for air. She took a moment to catch her breath, and then asked in a tone of pure amazement, "What is that?"

"Seeds of anise," Rocky said proudly, "An herb that all pups everywhere love. It has the most delightful smell and taste known to canine kind. Not even bacon can come close to the smell of anise. It was first grown in Ancient Egypt, and spread all over the world from there to the joy of pups everywhere."

"Wow," Everest said in amazement, her eyes fixed on the small black pouch, "This stuff must be precious."

Rocky chuckled and said, "That's a good word for it. Catnip has nothing on this! And if you liked that little whiff, then just wait to you see what else I've got."

Everest gasped and practically bubbled over with excitement. "Really? What else?"

Rocky grinned slyly, and he pointed dramatically and declared, "To the Secret Lab!"

"What so secret about Zuma?" Everest asked.

Rocky groaned face pawed, hard.

"What?" Everest asked innocently.

* * *

Rocky once again led Everest to a new location, this time to the inside of the garage at the Lookout.

He leaned against the bare wall and said, "Okay, Everest. You gotta promise to never ever tell anybody what you're about to see. Alright?"

Everest nodded and held her head up high, "No problem, Rocky! Cross my heart and hope to die!"

Rocky winced when she said this, knowing that before long, she'll be taking this particular secret to her early grave.

Forcing back any emotional thoughts, Rocky swallowed hard and nodded, "Yes. Okay. I'd trust you to keep a secret anyway. We all trust you. That is, um, well."

Desperate to change the subject, Rocky tapped the wall twice, an a secret panel slid open, revealing a small red button.

"Push the button, Everest!" Rocky declared.

Looking very excited, Everest ran over to the button and pressed it.

Suddenly, a door opened revealing an extra large water gun.

Rocky's eyes widened. "Oh cru-."

 ** _WHOOOSH!_**

A gush of water shot out and blasted Rocky into the opposite wall.

Everest quickly ran over to Rocky's side. "Are you alright, Rocky? Was that supposed to happen?"

Rocky got up and did his best to shake himself dry. "Eww. Wet. . . I forgot. You're supposed to _hold_ the button for ten seconds."

After pressing the button the right way, a panel on the floor slid open, dropping Rocky and Everest down onto slide similar to the one around the Lookout. This slide was shorter, and dropped the two pups into a brightly lit, chrome walled room down under the Lookout. The room was filled with a variety of things you'd expect to find in a chemist's laboratory. There were also a bunch of crates and barrels stacked on the far side of the room.

"What is this place?" Everest asked aloud in wonder.

"My secret aniseed lab, of course," Rocky said as he put on a nearby Pup Pack, "You see, I've got a secret contract with a company to research different ways to use anise for pup enjoyment. Goggles! _*Ruff!* *Ruff!*_ "

A mechanical arm came out of the special Scientist Pup Pack and put a pair of goggles on Rocky's face. The mixed breed began laughing maniacally as he ran excitedly from table to table. "Look at this! Look at all this! Aniseed oils! Aniseed air fresheners! Aniseed lined dog bones! Acres and acres of aniseed! Mwahahahahaha!"

Everest laughed a gleeful laugh and said, "Oh, Rocky! You're so funny!"

Rocky lifted his goggles onto his forehead and said with one eyebrow raised, "What? I'm a mad scientist now. There's nothing funny about it, the laughing is required. Just like the goggles."

Everest smiled and shook her head, and she said, "So, did you bring me here to help you test all your aniseed inventions?"

Rocky shook his head, "No, we'd probably end up going overboard if we did that. Actually, well. . . you said that you know how to make liver tea, right."

Everest made a show of licking her chops and said, "Ooh, yeah! It's the best thing for a _really_ cold day. I really should make you all some later!"

At the thought of Everest's liver tea, Rocky turned as green as his Eco Pup gear for a moment. But he quickly recovered and said, "Uh, yeah, that's sounds great, Everest. But how would you like to help me make the first brew of aniseed tea!"

Everest's eyes widened, and she smiled cutely and asked, "Do you got an extra pair of goggles?"

Rocky grinned back, and barked to his Pup Pack to dispense another pair of goggles.

Everest put them on, and then gave a high pitched maniacal laugh, "Mwa-hee-hee-hee-hee!"

Rocky put his own goggles back down and joined in on the laughing.

* * *

Everest sniffed at the steam coming from the food grade beaker simmering on top of the Bunsen burner. She nodded and said, "Okay, so if that's just plain aniseed steeping . . ."

"Yeeeeeessss . . ." Rocky said with a big grin.

Everest stroked her chin thoughtfully, then smiled and said, "We're gonna need some green tea, and maybe some jasmine too . . ."

* * *

"Ugh. . ." Rocky said as he stuck his tongue out.

Everest did the same, but then couldn't help but laugh at their mistake and said, "Alright. If at first you don't succeed! How about some oolong. . ."

* * *

"Okay, so now we know never to mix oolong and jasmine together. Ever," Rocky said wryly.

"That's great! We learned something new!" Everest said optimistically, "Okay, how about we use some white tea and oolong tea with the aniseed."

"How do you know so much about tea?" Rocky asked.

"Ummm. . ." Everest said as she turned away uncomfortably.

Knowing that the whole point of his mission was to keep Everest happy, Rocky quickly said, "D-don't answer that, Everest! A mad scientist, especially a mad _tea_ scientist needs to have some secrets, right?"

When Rocky smiled and winked at her, Everest was quickly brought right back into the spirit of things and giggled as she nodded. "Oh yeah. . ."

* * *

Everest took a long, deep sniff of the finished product, and she smiled approvingly. "Oh yeah, this is it, Rocky."

Rocky used the claw from his Pup Pack to pour out two bowls of the steaming hot brew. The pups took off their goggles and were quick to drink up the enchantingly smelling mixture.

"Oh, WOW! That is so-!" Everest shouted, but was unable to finish as she was drawn back to the tea before her.

Rocky was also instantly in love with this amazing brew. The flavor of the types of tea perfectly complimented the aroma and taste of the aniseed, created something that was undeniably irresistible.

It wasn't long before the pups had drank up the two bowls of tea, and then the rest of the beaker full of tea.

Everest's tail was wagging faster than ever as she leaped around joyously. "Oh yeah! I rock! You rock! We rock!"

Rocky was pleased to see Everest so happy. "We're both geniuses, aren't we?"

Everest nodded enthusiastically, "We are, we are, we are! Wow, I'm really pumped up now!"

Rocky was feeling more or less the same way, and he shed his Pup Pack and made his way to the slide they came down on, "Well then, how about you race me to the Pup Park!"

* * *

So the two pups played for a while at the Pup Park, barking and howling energetically. They ran through the tunnels, spun around super fast on the merry-go-round, and had an epic game of tether ball. Before long, the pups began to finally tire out a bit, and they both rested at the swing-set. Rocky sat nested in the tire swing while Everest sat in the normal one.

"Whew! That was tons of fun!" Everest said as she caught her breath, "Thank you, Rocky! I'm so honored you shared such a big secret with me!"

Rocky smiled and said, "Well, you deserve to know, Everest. You _are_ a great pup. You deserve to know how awesome aniseed is."

Everest smiled, "Thanks, but I think I'm good for a quite a while." Everest stomach suddenly gave a growl that would put Rubble's stomach to shame. She chuckled and said, "Wow. All that excitement made me hungrier than usual. Is it time for lunch yet?"

Rocky jumped out of the tire swing and said, "It sure is, Everest. Come on, let's head over to Mr. Porter's! I hear he has a special surprise waiting there."

Everest looked ecstatic as she jumped off of the swing. "Alright! Another surprise! Yes!"

As Rocky and Everest ran off towards Mr. Porter's, Rocky thought to himself, "Mission accomplished, Rocky. Well, at least your mission is. Things are looking good so far. I just hope Rubble can keep it up. . ."

* * *

 _I wonder what super special secret Rocky revealed to her? If it was so secret that he could only reveal it to someone who's gonna die soon, then I guess it must be pretty good. I hope Rocky decides to let me in on it someday . . ._

 _"I don't know, Marshall, you're energetic enough as it is!"_

 _Huh? What do you mean._

 _"Oops! Um, nothing."_

 _Aw, come on, Everest._

 _"My lips are sealed!"_

 _Aw man. . ._


	4. 3 Hours With Rubble

**3 Hours With Rubble**

 _So after Rocky and Everest had their top secret fun, they went off to Mr. Porter's, where Rubble was waiting there for them. I'd bet it must have been hard for Rubble to get a hold of himself. The thought of loosing a friend was really something he didn't want to face. Good thing Skye was able to give him a more brighter perspective. . ._

* * *

"Thank you, Rocky, for all those lectures about saving money," Rubble said to himself as he walked out of Mr. Porter's restaurant. No matter how many rescues the PAW Patrol did, there's no way the pups would ever ask anyone to do something like this for free. Sure, if Mr. Porter knew about Everest's. . . limited time, he probably would be happy to do this for nothing. But of course, Rubble couldn't tell Mr. Porter for two reasons.

One: he didn't have the heart to tell him she was gonna. . . _go._

Two: he'd be unable to hold back his tears once the words crossed his lips, and Everest seeing him crying would spoil everything.

And so, Rubble had Rocky to thank for making his part in Everest's best (and last) day ever a reality. Ryder had recently started to give all the pups an allowance for fun or treats or other stuff. On that very first day, Rocky had given them all a talking to about budgeting and saving money for something great. Rubble had found it annoying and silly at first, figuring that he had no reason to wait when he could buy meatballs right away. But the moment he saw that Apollo the Super-Pup skateboard deck, Rubble became the poster pup of saving money.

So, when Rubble handed Mr. Porter about $30, he couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit disappointed.

Rubble frowned and shook it off as he waited by the curve, "No. It's just a skateboard. It's just a toy." Rubble suddenly became misty eyed as he stared into space. With a gently smiled, he said aloud, "Everest is an irreplaceable friend. She's _reaaaaal_ special!"

Rubble then began to drift off into a recent memory from only two days ago. . .

* * *

"Prepare for trouble! Cause Rubble's on the double!" Rubble shouted as he drove his rig towards the Kitten Catastrope Crew's purple carrier. The kittens were all inside, and Mayor Humdinger was standing on top of it, hanging onto Mr. Porter's cash register, which he had just stolen. The villains were just about to make their escape when Rubble zoomed in and swung his rig's digger at the carrier.

Mayor Humdinger dropped the cash register as the force of the blow knocked the carrier along with him and the crew into the air. Just then, the jet engines turned on and propelled the villains into the air.

As the kittens meowed in terror, Mayor Humdinger held on for dear life as he screamed, "LOOKS LIKE THE KITTEN CATASTROPHE CREW'S BLASTING OFF **_AGAIN_!** "

Chase drove up beside Rubble as they watched the villains disappear into the distance with a twinkle of light.

"Huh. You know, that makes the third time this week we've sent them blasting off. Is this gonna replace his whole 'what if I fall?' thing, or will he go back to that when Ryder comes back?" Chase said nonchalantly, as if it were merely just an amusing fact.

Rubble shrugged and grinned, "I don't know, but I gotta say that the one yesterday was the best! The look on Mayor Humdinger's face after Rocky sabotaged their carrier, and it BLEW UP!"

As Rubble started to laugh, Everest rolled in and said, "No way! The first one was the best! When we chased them from the bank to the bay, and Marshall used his water cannon at full force to blast them through the sky, and then SPLASH!"

As the bulldog and husky laughed together, Chase tapped his pup tag and said, "Rocky, Zuma, Marshall; we took care of Mayor Humdinger, so you can open up your blockades."

"Green means go!"

"No pwoblem, dude."

"Yeah! _Arrrrroooooo_!"

Chase nodded, "Good. And great job to you too, Skye! You can cash register back to Mr. Porter's."

"Thanks, Chase! Over and out!"

"Over and out," Chase said, and he ended the calls and sighed in disappointment, "It's too bad we can't just arrest him, but he just keeps paying everyone off. What a jerk."

As Skye attached her helicopter's hook to the cash register and disembarked towards Mr. Porter's, Everest smiled and said, "Aw, come on, Chase. As Jake would say, _just chill_! That purple guy is so funny! He never wins anyway!"

"Yep! We always save the day! And no bad guys can't beat me, cause I'm a tough pup! _Rrrrrrr_!" Rubble said. Suddenly, a different kind of growling was heard. Rubble chuckled and said, "Heh-heh. I guess I'm a hungry pup, too! Beating bad guys sure gives you a big appetite!"

Suddenly, there was the sound of an even louder growling. Rubble and Chase turned to stare at Everest in awe. The husky chuckled and said, "Well, I guess I'm a little hungry too."

"Hey, I thought I had the loudest belly in Adventure Bay?" Rubble asked sourly.

Everest _was_ a girl, so she looked at Rubble with a pair of heavy lidded eyes and a satisfied smile and said, "Well, not anymore!"

Rubble gave a look of determination and said boldly, "Oh yeah! Well, how about I challenge you to a Pup Food eating contest!"

Everest grinned and leaned in. "Bring. It. On," she said.

* * *

Rubble sighed as he remembered that day. Marshall, being the Medic Pup, made them stop at their ninth bowls. Although he'd never admit to it, Rubble had been getting a little worried that Everest could actually out eat him. But right now, that worry had now turned into admiration.

 _"It's so sad, that the world is gonna loose such a champion of eating . . ._ " Rubble thought to himself sadly.

"Hey, Rubble!" came Rocky's voice.

Rubble turned and saw Rocky running over, with Everest behind him.

Rubble took a deep breath. _"Stay calm. Don't cry. Remember what Skye said. This is supposed to be a happy time. And you're gonna enjoy this too. . ."_

Rubble let out the breath he was holding and smiled at his two friends. "Hi Rocky! Hi Everest! You're just in time for lunch!"

Rocky nodded and said, "Well, there's actually something I gotta do, like, right now. So, you and Everest have fun! Bye!"

Rocky quickly ran off in what appeared to Everest to be a random direction. The husky cocked her head and said, "He sure ran off in a big hurry."

Rubble smiled nervously, hoping that he wasn't sweating.

Everest then turned and smiled at Rubble, eyes bright and tail wagging, and asked, "So, what's the surprise?"

Rubble's smiled became true and excited, and he said, "Oh, you are gonna love _this,_ Everest! Okay, quick question: do you remember our eating contest?"

Everest nodded, "Yeah. I was on my way to eating twice as much as you when Marshall made us stop."

Rubble closed his eyes and shook his head, a confident smile on his face as he did so. Then, he looked right at Everest and said, "Well, do you see Marshall around anywhere?"

Everest looked to the left. Then she looked to the right. Then she shook her head and said, "No."

Rubble leaned in close and said, "You like pizza, right?"

Everest grinned in an adorable manner and answered, " _A lot._ And Jake likes the way I think." A loud growl emanated from Everest's stomach, and she said, "Sounds like playing with Rocky made me hungrier than I thought."

Rubble felt like he was gonna burst from anticipation. "Well, that's great. And I, like the way you think too, Everest. Heh-heh. So, how about we have a little rematch, right here, right now." Rubble walked over to the door and called out, "You can bring them out, Mr. Porter!"

Everest's eyes widened as Mr. Porter carried out a stack of four pizza boxes. As Mr. Porter placed the boxes on a table, Rubble ran up and jumped on a chair. The bulldog winked at her and said, "Are you ready, Everest."

Everest jumped onto the chair opposite to Rubble and said confidently, "You're on!"

* * *

About an hour into Rubble and Everest's little challenge, Rocky had just arrived up at Jake's Mountain, where Chase was waiting for him. Rocky pulled his recycling truck up next to Jake's cabin, and got out to meet with the police pup.

"Did you pick out a. . . nice place?" Rocky said gently with a slight whimper to his voice.

Chase nodded professionally, "Yes. Right there." Chase pointed over to a patch of dug-up ground a few yards away from the cabin. "So she'll always be near him," he said.

Rocky whined and hung his head. _"Everest was so much fun. . ."_ he thought.

"Get a hold of yourself, Rocky," Chase said as he stood authoritatively, "We've got a job to do. Do you have anything nice we can use to . . ." Chase swallowed hard, ". . . hold her? I think it would mean a lot to her if we made it ourselves."

Rocky nodded, "Yeah. Sure thing, Chase." Rocky then turned and began searching the back of his truck. After a few minutes, he pulled out a wooden sled. "We can use the wood from this old sled to make a nice. . . yeah." Rocky went back in, and carried out two cans of Honey Pine wood stain in his mouth. He place the cans down next to the sled and said, "This'll be a nice color. . ." Unable to hold it back any longer, Rocky laid himself down and began to softly cry.

Chase moved over to Rocky's side and quickly hugged him, saying, "I know, Rocky. I know."

* * *

Pizza is definitely more filling that Pup Food, so Rubble and Everest found themselves in a whole new level of fullness.

Rubble felt really impressed with himself and Everest. The four pizza boxes were empty, and neither of them had shown any sign of slowing down during their gorging spree. Although Rubble couldn't help but be thankful that he couldn't buy any more, because he was sure Everest would have out eaten him. Rubble knew the look Everest had in her eye as she sat up straight with her tail wagging. She was still hungry and he knew it. He, on the other hand, was slouching a bit, and his eyes were already starting to feel heavy.

Everest licked her lips and said, "That was fun! Did I win?"

"We finished at the same time," Rubble corrected.

Everest shrugged, "Oh well. I could still eat more, but Marshall would probably give me a lecture on healthy eating habits. He's really devoted to his work as a Medic."

Rubble nodded, "Yeah, Ryder taught him a lot, and he really like learning about anatomy and biology and all that sciencey stuff. He's a lot smarter than you'd think, you know."

"And so funny and cute," Everest said softly while looking away bashfully.

"Huh?" Rubble asked.

"Oh, nothing," Everest said with a quite giggle. She then settled back into her chair and said, "You know, after all the excitement I had with Rocky and then all that pizza, I think I could use a nap."

Rubble grinned enthusiastically and said, "No problem! Just follow me!"

Rubble jumped out of the chair and ran off, and Everest followed, wondering what Rubble had planned.

* * *

In the vicinity of the park, Cali peeked out from behind a tree to spy on a pair of seagulls. The birds had a rather large fish between them, and it was simply too good for Cali to pass up.

Cali carefully and quietly began stalking up behind the birds, wearing a sly smirk as she approached. She finally reached pouncing distance and readied herself to spirng.

"Hey Cali!" Rubble shouted as he thundered in with Everest right behind him.

The seagulls immediately called out and dispersed, carrying the fist with them.

Cali hissed angrily, and turned to the pups, meowing in frustration.

Rubble smiled sheepishly, "Uh, oops. Sorry about that Cali. You see, we just kinda need a favor."

Cali simply turned her nose up at him and showed him her tail.

Rubble sighed, "Aww, we didn't mean to ruin your fun, Cali. Just tell us where we can find today's best napping spot right now."

Cali walked froward a few steps, then turned back to Rubble and meowed at him slyly.

"But I don't have time to get you another fish!" Rubble said in dismay.

Cali meowed and shook her head, silently sighing as she started to walk away.

Rubble quickly ran up beside her and said, "Alright then. The three of us can just hang out together all day!"

Cali stopped in her tracks and lucked up at the sky, meowing in frustration. Then she turned to Rubble and had a brief exchange with him.

"Alright, that sounds perfect! Thanks Cali, and I'll remember to get you that fish later on. You're the best," Rubble said kindly.

Cali rolled her eyes, but gave Rubble a small smile nonetheless before going off on her way with a sweep of her tail.

Everest approached Rubble and said with wonder, "I didn't know you could talk to cats."

Rubble blushed and said, "Well, I don't really _speak_ kitty. I just know what she's trying to say. Like how Chase understands Little Hootie."

"Who?" Everest asked.

"No, not Hoo. _Hootie_."

"Who?"

"No, _Hootie_."

"But who's that?"

"Ohhh! _Who_ is Little Hootie."

"Yeah, hoo? I mean, _who_? . . ."

". . . ."

". . . ."

Everest and Rubble suddenly burst out laughing.

"I'll tell you the whole story on the way. Follow me!" Rubble said as he lead Everest onward.

* * *

". . . and that's how the pups saved a hoot!" Rubble concluded as he and Everest lay settled down on a pair of long chairs on the beach.

"Wow, that's a cute story," Everest said as she lay partially under the shade of the sun umbrella.

"Hey, wasn't I awesome?!" Rubble said, puffing his chest out slightly, "I've saved the day tons of times! Like the time where Katie and Cali were stuck on the ski lift on Jake's Mountain! I-"

Rubble stopped when she heard the sound of Everest's gentle snoring. He grinned at her, realizing that all the food and whatever top secret game he played with Rocky had finally caught up to her. Rubble's full stomach was catching up to Rubble as well, so he settled down an enjoyed a well needed nap.

* * *

 _"You know, I totally could have eaten more than Rubble if there had been more pizzas!"_

 _Everest, you would've gotten sick for real._

 _"That's what you think! I defy medical science!"_

 _Oh brother. . ._

 _"Aw, come on, Marshall. Do you want me to be boring?"_

 _No way! Don't ever change, Everest!_

 _"You don't worry about that. Hey, next we talk about Chase, right?"_

 _Uh-huh._


	5. 3 Hours With Chase

_**This chapter was brought to you by Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda 3 (I regret nothing!).**_

 **3 Hours With Chase**

 _Okay, so after Rubble and Everest had their after lunch nap, Everest woke up to . . . kinda abruptly meet with Chase for the next part of her best day ever. But I don't really blame Chase. As far as we knew, time was running out. . ._

* * *

Everest yawned as she slowly got up onto her paws on the long chair she had fallen asleep on. She stretched her neck a little, then slowly opened her eyes. She gasped and jumped in surprise when she saw Chase sitting on the long chair instead of Rubble.

"Everest," Chase said simply with a nod.

"Chase?" Everest replied, "What are you doing here? Where's Rubble? And. . ." Everest tilted her head as she studied Chase's outfit, "Why are you wearing pajamas? And a headband?"

"Huh?" Chase said in confusion, but then he shook his head and said, "I'm not wearing pajamas. It's a uniform. A _special_ uniform."

Everest smiled innocently and asked, "A uniform for _sleeping_?"

Chase leaned forward a bit and looked right into Everest's eyes. "Everest, I want to take you on an adventure," he said seriously.

Everest looked back with interest and said, "An adventure? What kind of adventure?"

Chase nodded slowly and said, "An adventure of mind and boy. An adventure of excellence of self. An adventure that will lead to honor that is yours by right as a member of the PAW Patrol. As a valuable member of our team, you have finally earned the respect needed for this great honor."

Chase backed away a bit, then solemnly bowed his head and continued, "If it were possible, we would have taken you with us when we had our chance, but it is such a valuable secret, we had to wait. But now the time has finally arrived."

Chase looked Everest straight in the eye again, and he said, "You have proven yourself to be a valuable asset to this team, Everest. So, are you ready for this great honor?"

Everest stared back into Chase's stern face, thinking everything he had said through. Then, she grinned cheerfully, her tail wagging as she said, "Okay!"

* * *

Chase led Everest into Farmer Yumi's barn, and the first thing she noticed was the large tapestry depicting a golden dragon flying in a bright blue sunny sky. Everest also noticed that the sun had an ear of corn in it.

"Sensei Yumi," Chase said with a quick bow of respect.

Everest turned to see Farmer Yumi wearing a set of white robes and a headband of her own.

"Sensei?" Everest echoed.

Chase turned to Everest and explained, "It means 'teacher.' Sensei Yumi is an expert in Pup-Fu."

"Pup. . . Fu?" Everest asked, looking more and more confused by the second.

Sensei Yumi walked over to Everest and said, "Pup-Fu. An ancient and powerful martial art with the purpose of self-defense and self-mastery." She turned to Chase and said nodded, "Ready for a demonstration?"

Chase nodded in response, and walked over to a stack of three wooden boards. Everest watched as Chase stood before the boards, took two quick breaths, and with his eyes focused on the board, he jumped up onto his hind legs and hopped and spun, kicking down at the boards and splitting them all in half.

"WOW!" Everest exclaimed, jumping backwards in shock as her tail went crazy.

Chase landed back on his paws and bowed. Then he allowed himself to smile and said, "Well, what do you think, Everest?"

Everest looked at Chase with wonder in her eyes and asked, "Can _all_ of you do that?"

Chase nodded and answered, "Yes, and more."

Sensei Yumi nodded, "Indeed. I've taught all the pups this ancient Chinese skill. . . except for you."

Everest walked over to Sensei Yumi, and bowed just as Chase had. "Please, show me everything you can, Farm- uh, I mean, _Sensei_ Yumi," Everest said, almost pleadingly.

Sensei Yumi folded her arms and looked down at Everest. She then said, "A little while earlier, Chase came here to convince me to bring you up to speed. And recently, I have come to know you very well, Everest. You truly are a very loyal, brave, good, and honorable pup. Therefore, it would bring me great pleasure to teach you the art of Pup-Fu."

Everest's face lit up brighter than ever, and she barked happily and said, "Oh, thank you, thank you, Sensei Yumi! I'll make you proud! Then I can show Jake my skills when he gets back!"

As the woman smiled, Chase looked away and frowned as the sadness he had witnessed Rocky let out threatened to leak out of his professional persona.

* * *

As it turned out, Everest was literally a natural at Pup-Fu, in every sense of the word. Never had Yumi seen a pup take to Pup-Fu so smoothly, or look as good in a Pup-Fu uniform for that matter, as Everest. Every move that Yumi explained or that Chase demonstrated was easily taken in and replicated by the eager Husky pup. And throughout it all, Everest was practically gobbling it up, and loving each and every moment of it.

Chase could only stare with his mouth hanging open as Everest spun in mid air, broke boards, hit targets, and stuck perfect landings every time. Also, her ability to perform silent rolls and step quick and low to the ground with scarcely a sound was highly impressive as well.

 _"Her stealth is nearly equal to that of Marshall's! And that's saying something!"_ Sensei Yumi thought to herself in amazement.

Then it came time for Everest and Chase to spar, and the German Shepherd felt a growing pit of nervousness in his stomach as he faced Everest within the circle, in spite of himself.

Everest grinned as she gave Chase an alluring look with her eyes. "I'll do my best not to hurt you, Chase," she said.

Chase simply nodded silently as he readied himself for the sparring match. And, as everyone present expected, Chase got his clock repeatedly cleaned by the Pup-Fu Husky.

"Go!" Sensei Yumi shouted.

Chase tried starting with a sideways kick, but Everest neatly grabbed Chase's paw and tossed him out of the circle.

* * *

"Go!"

Chase jumped up and spun in mid air with his forepaws spread, moving towards Everest with the intention of landing a punch. However, his intention failed to be realized as Everest jumped up and linked paws with him. She then used Chase's own momentum to send him flying out of the circle.

* * *

"Go!"

Wanting to catch Everest off guard this time, Chase hopped backwards, kicked up off of his hind-legs into a frontpaw stand, and then performed a back flip to land right on top of her. But even then, Everest was several steps ahead of him as she lowered her body to the ground and stepped forward quickly, dodging Chase's aerial attack. She then bucked him in the rear to knock him out of the ring. However, Chase had quickly braced himself for the attack and used it to go up into a another frontpaw stand. Then, blancing on one paw, he spun around like a helicopter and threw himself at Everest. The Husky jumped up and twirled around, dodging the attack and grabbing Chase's paw once again. When she tried to throw him out of the ring, Chase simply held on to her paw with all his might, trying to take her with him. Everest appeared to get pulled onward with him, but then she threw all her weight into turning the two of them upside down. Then, with the help of gravity, Everest flung Chase diagonally downward, although it felt like upward from Chase's position, and he lost hold of Everest's paw and hit the ground on the outside of the ring. When Chase regained his senses, he saw Everest balancing perfectly steady on one paw on the very edge of the ring.

"Remarkable!" Sensei Yumi exclaimed, "I couldn't possibly hope for a better student!"

Everest got back down on all fours and bowed, "I couldn't possibly hope for a better teacher, sensei."

Chase walked over to Everest and asked, "Are you _sure_ you've never done this before. Like, maybe you ran into a penguin who learned martial arts, somehow. . ." Chase looked around nervously as the ridiculousness of what he was saying caught up to him.

As Everest chuckled, Yumi rubbed his chin in thought. Then she said to the pup, "Everest, in light of your. . . natural gifts, I think it would be beneficial to see how you do with some more. . . _advanced_ techniques."

* * *

Sensei Yumi watched with delight, and Chase watched in awe, as Everest ran along the wall of the barn, sprang off, spun in a ball in mid air, and the kicked out her hind legs at a round target on a pole, shattering it with one powerful blow.

"Magnificent!" Sensei Yumi declared, "There is great wellspring of natural talent within you, Everest!"

Everest walked over to her Sensei and bowed to her. "I still owe so much of it to you, Sensei Yumi. You were the one showed me Pup-Fu, and how to use those skills." Everest looked up and smiled, "I've always liked being active and moving around, whether it be digging or bellybogganing or whatever. These Pup-Fu moves are like that, only a million times better!"

Sensei Yumi looked down with pride and respect at the Husky pup. Then she said, "It. . .almost makes sense. . . in a way. You've lived isolated in the North for so long, and even now you live up on a snow covered mountain with a loyal friend. It fits the archetype. You're just the kind of pup to be such a great master within."

Everest gasped as she looked up in glee. "Really? A master? ME!?"

"Indeed, "Sensei Yumi said with a nod. Then she appeared to freeze for a moment, as if a sudden thought had struck her. "In fact. . ." she said slowly, "I believe . . . that it is finally time."

Sensei Yumi turned and approached an ornate purple table with a scroll held up on display on top of it. She carefully lifted the scroll from it's holder, and then turned back to Everest.

"This," Sensei Yumi said, "is the Ancient Scroll of Pup-Fu, passed down to me by my grandfather. Within it are all the secrets of the anceint Martial Arts Masters. Yet their spirits live on within this art. The secrets on this roll of paper go beyond simple kicks and flips. _Far_ beyond that. The secrets inscribed near the very bottom of this scroll can bend and invoke the very forces nature itself. I myself had yet to find a pup worthy of such power. . ."

Everest felt the fur on the back of her neck rise as Sensei Yumi looked right at her and said, "That is, until now."

* * *

When Chase was allowed to come back into the barn, he saw Everest staring at her forepaws in amazement.

"I. . . I. . . I can't believe it!" Everest gasped out, her eyes sparkling with the excitement of one who has discovered a special kind of knowledge.

Chase felt good inside from seeing Everest look so happy and fulfilled. "Well, I'm not sure what you showed her, or what she can do, but it must be pretty amazing!"

Sensei Yumi nodded, "Indeed. I taught Everest two of the legendary techniques of Pup-Fu. I trust her completely to only use them when absolutely necessary." Yumi then looked over at the scroll, back on it's display, and said, "I am so glad that I have finally found a pup worthy of such power. A pup of great skill. . ." she turned to Everest and smiled, "And a pure heart."

Everest smiled back, her eyes shimmering, revealing how she was nearly overwhelmed by her recent experience.

The scene was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the barn door being rammed open with a loud bang. Everyone turned fast to see Mayor Humdinger riding in on his purple cat carrier.

"You _again_!?" Chase shouted, clearly frustrated at the criminal's appearance.

"That's right! _'Again!'_ " Mayor Humdinger said mockingly, then smirked as he said, "Good think I decided to spy on you today! Now I can finally claim that scroll!"

"No way!" Everest shouted in disbelief, then she growled and said, "Paws- er, hands off!"

Mayor Humdinger took out his remote a hit a button, which opened the cat carrier door, releasing the entire Kitten Catastrophe Crew, all dressed in their Cat-Jitsu uniforms with their Cat Packs, and ready to fight.

"Ha! You're outnumbered!" the evil mayor said confidently.

Chase growled lowly, "Grr. This doesn't look good."

Sensei Yumi looked shocked and appalled, and said, "Really? You're just going to come in here, attack us, and steal the scroll?! Just like that?!"

"Of course I am, you idiot!" Mayor Humdinger spat nastily, "Now surrender now or prepare to fight!"

The kittens all either laughed or hissed at their three opponents, who were all in a battle stance in between the villains and the scroll.

Not having any patience to spare on the criminal gang, Chase pounced at his feline counterpart, but was immediately blasted into the wall by the water cannons of Marshall's feline counterpart.

"That was _extremely_ dishonorable!" Yumi shouted as she clenched her fists, looking as if she wouldn't think twice about landing a punch right in Mayor Humdinger's fat gut.

"Listen here, Purple Guy!" Everest said sternly, a tone rather rare for the happy and cheerful Husky, "You don't know what you're messing with, right here. There are things in that scroll that are more powerful that you can ever imagine!"

"You're just making me want it even more!" Mayor Humdinger said as he twirled his mustache and laughed.

"You can't handle it's power!" Everest warned, "If you and your kitten try to use that scroll, I swear that Foggy Bottom Bog and everyone in it will be wiped off the face of the Earth!"

The crooked mayor chuckled darkly and said, "Listen to me, mutt-"

"I'm a Husky!" Everest shouted angrily.

"If anything is gonna be wiped off the face of the Earth, it won't be Foggy Bottom Bog! It'll be you three, and everyone and everything else in Adventure Bay! So help me!" Humdinger said has he stomped his foot defiantly.

Everest growled with a fierceness that even scared Chase and Sensei Yumi. Then she said, "Alright. You want the scroll's power? You want to see what it can do! Fine! You got it!"

Everest hopped onto her hind legs.

"Bīng!" she said.

She took a few steps forwards and spun around.

"Ròu!" she said.

She then quickly fell forward, just about to land on stomach, when she quickly caught herself with her forepaws. While in that position, which resembled the Cobra Yoga pose, she barked out harshly, "Herdiāoxiàng!"

Out of her mouth burst forth a mass of glowing blue energy. The energy scooped up all the kittens and crashed them all right into Mayor Humdinger and the cat carrier. Then; as quick as a flash, in the blink of an eye; the kittens, the mayor, and the cat carrier were all encased in a huge chunk of ice.

Chase's jaw dropped as his mind went completely blank. There were no words to describe what he was feeling, and he could not pull together a coherent reaction to what he had just witnessed. The last time he had felt this way was when he saw that Skye had turned into a mer-pup. . . although the mer-pups still had this situation beat.

However, Everest wasn't done yet. She reared up on her hind legs again and smacked her forepaws together hard.

"lì!" she said.

She then held her forelegs out to either side of her, standing up on two legs, looking almost like a scarecrow.

"Pínghéng!"

She then fell back on all four legs hard, barking out as loud as she could, "Tuī!"

An unseen force burst out of her mouth and smashed into the giant ice cube. This smashed the ice and caused the cat carrier to explode, blasting the mayor and the Kitten Catastrophe Crew flying out the open barn doors and up into the sky.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT! NO MORE! FORGET THE SCROLL! KEEP IT! _YOU WIN_ _!_ YOU HEAR ME! _WE'RE BLASTING OFF **AGAIN!**_ " Mayor Humdinger shouted as the kittens cried out in fear. Then they all vanished into the sky in a twinkle of light.

Chase stared into the sky, still awestruck by what Everest had done. Then, he slowly turned to face the Husky pup, the tiniest bit of fear inside him. But then, when he saw Everest's heaving chest and innocent smile of relief, all fear was banished with him and replace with a deep sense of respect for this brave and talented pup.

"Chase," Yumi said levelly.

Chase turned to look at the sensei.

"I think it would wise to keep _this_ part of Everest's Pup-Fu mastery a secret," she said.

* * *

Everest bowed as Sensei Yumi presented her with a golden belt.

"You're the second pup to earn this great honor, Everest," Yumi said, "The first one, was Marshall."

Everest gasped as a light blush appeared on her cheeks. "R-really? He did?" she asked with a shy looking smile.

Yumi nodded, "Yes. This is actually the second time Mayor Humdinger has tried to steal the Scroll. The first time, it was Marshall, with his incredible skills of stealth, who tracked him down and kept him and his kittens occupied so the rest of the PAW Patrol could come and foil his evil plot. And it is my belief that one day, Marshall will realize his incredible potential, and reach a level equal to yours."

Everest nodded confidently and said, "Yeah. Marshall and me, becoming Pup-Fu masters together. I'd like that a lot."

Chase swallowed a large lump that had formed in his throat. _"Oh, Everest,"_ he thought sadly.

Everest turned to the barn door and spotted the broken latch. "Too bad about your door. . ." Everest suddenly perked up and said, "But I'm sure Rocky can fix it in about a second! No job is too big, no pup is too small!"

Chase hitched up a smile back on his face, which was easy to do when he saw Everest's smile, and said, "That reminds me, Everest. Zuma wanted to meet you at the beach after your Pup-Fu lesson. Oh, and he said to _'get set to get wet!'_ "

Everest chuckled and said, "What else can you expect from Zuma? I guess I'd better take my uniform off then. Chase, will you put it away in my rig for me?"

Chase smiled, "No problem Everest. And I can see you're having a great day."

Everest nodded and said, "The best day I've had since the day I met Jake!"

 _"Well then, hopefully by the time Zuma, Skye, and Marshall are through, this day will be able to top even that, and your last day will really be your best day,"_ Chase thought solemnly.

* * *

 _Isn't Pup-Fu just awesome Everest! You gotta show me all your moves!_

 _"Well, not all of them. . ."_

 _Huh? What do you mean?_

 _"Oh, nothing. . ."_

 _Aw, come on, Everest! First what you did with Rocky is secret, now you have some super secret moves too? You gotta let me in on something._

 _"I will. . . when you reach the next level of Pup-Fu mastery, oh monochrome one. . ."_

 _Well, okay then. . . Miss Miyagi!_

 _Uh-huh._


	6. 30 Minutes of Preparations

**A/N:** _Sorry for the long delay. Here we go!_

* * *

 **30 Minutes of Preparations**

 _While Chase and Everest were busy wrapping up their super secret Pup-Fu lesson, the rest of the pups were. . . well. . . y-you know. . . g-g-getting ready. . ._

* * *

Rubble shoveled out another scoop of dirt out of the rectangular hole. Rocky solemnly lowered a tape measure into the hole. He glanced at it and said, "6 feet."

Rubble whimpered as he backed away from the hole; trembling before it, and what it represented.

"I know, Rubble, I know," Rocky said softly, "I know it hurts. I know it's the worst thing imaginable. But there's just nothing we can do but set things up for. . . for when Jake and Ryder come back."

Rubble raised his head, and he gave a smile as he said, "Everest looked pretty happy. . . She's such an awesome eater. . . It's so sad the world is going to lose her."

Rocky gave Rubble a look and said, "Well, Everest is also very skilled rescue pup, and a total survival expert. She lived on the frozen tundra for who knows how long and. . ." Rocky's voice trailed off as he was lost in thought.

"What is it, Rocky?" Rubble asked.

"Everest. . ." Rocky said, amazement and disbelief on his face, ". . .she lived alone. All alone. In that igloo. No trees, no humans, nothing but ice, snow, and penguins."

Rubble stopped to think on all that, frowning as he thought hard, and he said, "I kinda. . . maybe. . ." Rubble shook his head, "I thought I kinda knew what Everest went through, but now that I think about, I never even came close. I was tough enough to live on my own, sure, but I also go to see different things. I've met tons of animals and people, and when I couldn't find food, I'd sometimes meet nice people who'd give me something if I begged hard enough." Rubble gasped and said with wide eyes, "If I had been in Everest's place, I'd be dead! Or crazy! Or crazy and dead! Or dead and-!"

"Okay, okay, I get it Rubble," Rocky said, looking away, appearing to be in a very low mood now.

"I - I'm sorry, Rocky," Rubble apologized gently.

"Not your fault," Rocky said, "It's hard to stay positive when it comes too. . ." Rocky's voice trailed off again, then he furrowed his brow in determination and said, "We need to send Everest of with a smile. We can't fall apart. We. . . we need to think positive!"

Rocky paced around a bit, trying to keep himself form looking at the hole Rubble has just neatened up. His tail wagged as he turned to Rubble and said with a smile, "Think of it! Everest's life has been a lonely one for so long, and now she has a whole bunch of good friends!"

Rubble smiled back and nodded, "Yeah. . .and hey! I think she has a crush on Marshall too!"

Rocky lifted his head in surprise, "Huh? Really?"

"Yes! Well, I think so. She said that Marshall was funny and cute, and she looked away and giggled! That's what girls do when they have a crush on a guy, right?" Rubble said eagerly.

"Well, yeah," Rocky said in a relenting tone. Then he grinned and said, "So _that's_ what Skye meant by _'Ooooohhhhh'_."

"Skye knows!" Rubble said excitedly.

"And I'll bet she's doing her best to get Marshall ready," Rocky said.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this. . ." Marshall said nervously as he glanced around the main room of the Lookout.

Skye smiled and said, "Just relax, Mar-"

"Relax?! Are you kidding me?!" Marshall shouted in a panic, "Don't you see what I'm gonna have to do! And I can't!"

Skye frowned as she watched Marshall run and hide his head under a pile of pillows.

"Marshall, haven't you ever heard the saying, 'not making a choice at all is far worse than making the wrong one'?" Skye asked gently.

Marshall took his head out from the pillows and looked back at Skye, "Uhhhh. . ."

Skye gave a deadpan look and said, "It means that you can either go through with this. . ." Skye stepped so close to Marshall that their noses nearly touched and said in a very serious tone, ". . . or Everest _**never**_ finds out how you really feel about her."

Marshall's eyes widened in horror, and he jumped up onto his paws and declared loudly, "I can't let that happen!"

"Great!" Skye cheered as she performed a happy flip.

Marshall then suddenly wilted and whimpered out, "But. . . I still feel nervous."

"Oh, come on, Marshall. You're a fire pup! I know you're brave. Everyone knows you're brave!" Skye said impatiently.

Marshall shook his head and said, "You just don't get it Skye. You're lucky. You're a girl. You don't have to worry about telling someone you like how you feel about them."

Skye stuck up her nose defiantly and said, "A girl can tell a guy that she likes him if she wants!"

"Do you like someone?" Marshall asked curiously.

"This is about _you_ and _Everest,_ Marshall," Skye said quickly, "We don't have much time, and you need a lot of help. . ." Skye paused and thought for a moment, then she said, "Hmmm. . . or maybe you don't. . ."

"Huh?"

"Marshall, like I said, you are brave. You just let your nerves and worries hold you back, like when tried to break the Fastest Firepup Record, or when you performed in the play, or when you sang in the talent show. You thought you couldn't do it at first, but in the end, you were great. And do you know why?"

Marshall just looked around bashfully, unable to come up with a good enough answer.

Skye smiled and said, "It's because you _are_ good enough, Marshall. You're not just a _good_ pup. You're a _great_ pup! You're cheerful, friendly, happy, and you never give up. You're not a klutz, you're energetic, and you don't let your mistakes bring you down. And you should know, Marshall, that Everest has said how much she really liked all that about you. One time, she said to me, _'A pup like Marshall must never give up, and is never negative. Being negative is the worst thing anyone could be, and Marshall is the exact opposite of that!'_ "

Marshall's jaw dropped and his ears stood up straight. "She. . . she. . . she said _that?_ " he gasped out.

Skye nodded.

"Really?" Marshall said in a whisper.

Skye smiled bigger and nodded again.

"Really?" Marshall repeated excitedly.

Skye laughed and said, "Really, Marshall. I solemnly swear on my honor as a member of the PAW Patrol that Everest said that to me." Skye then gained a guilty look and said, "Umm. . . Everest probably wouldn't have wanted me to tell you that. . . but this is an emergency! So I _had_ to! And. . . um. . ."

"She'll never know you told me!" Marshall said proudly as he stood up tall and puffed his chest out, "I'm good at keeping secrets! I didn't spill the beans about Chase's surprise party, right?"

Skye barked happily and said, "Yay! That's the Marshall we all know! You nee to remember that Everest likes you for who you are Marshall. Just keep thinking to yourself: 'do my best, forget the rest,' because Marshall's best is all Everest wants."

Marshall nodded, and he repeated the mantra to himself, "'Do my best, forget the rest.' Yeah. . ." Marshall shot Skye a nervous look and said, "But that can't be all! I mean, I need to figure out exactly _how_ to tell her. And, well. . ." Marshall gulped loudly and panic began to make its way back into his voice, "This is gonna be a _date_!"

"That's why I'm here to help you, so don't worry, and just calm down," Skye said a soft, kind tone with an even kinder and softer smile, "I know being alone with Everest make you nervous, but all you need to do is be sincere and the two of you will be enjoying each other's company. Just trust me," Skye winked and said, "I know what girls want."

"Are you sure?" Marshall asked in concern.

Skye gave Marshall a frightening death glare.

"Uh. . . oops?" Marshall said as he gave a nervous grin.

Skye sighed, "It's okay. You're nervous. Just use those Yoga breathing techniques I taught you a listen. We'll plan the actual date last. First, well, you're already a nice, polite pup, but it wouldn't hurt to remind you of what a girl wants in a boyfriend. They want someone confident, not arrogant of course. Also, sensitivity is good, as long as they aren't overly emotional or something. . ."

* * *

Zuma stood on the the beach, looking out into the ocean that extended infinitely into the distance.

"Infinite," Zuma said softly, "Like the endless mystewy of The Gweat Beyond. No one can _twuly_ plumb the depths of it without being lost fowevew. I've nevew seen death befowe, and I didn't think I evew would. But now, I'm gonna have too. Weally soon. Heh. It's kinda iwonic though, cause I've actually seen neaw death several times. That poow whale was neawly poisoned by that oil, and Walinda neawly dwowned when hew tail got caught in the buoy chain. But even then, I didn't get the full message. But now that Evewest's end is neaw, I finally see how precious and beautiful life is, and how showt it is. . . but. . . I can't be sad. In fact, being sad is the wowst thing you could do. Life may be showt, sometimes it's even showtew, but you gotta make the best of it by doing all you can and not being afwaid. Maybe I alweady knew all this. . . subconsciously. That's pwobably why I don't have any weal feaws like the othew pups. But wight now, we'll just give Evewest all the joy and achievement and excitement and wondew that a showt life needs to be filled with."

Zuma reared his head backwards slightly and said, "Huh? Since when did I get so philosophical?"

Zuma shook his head and said, "Alwight. Enough of that. I need to do this. I need to let them know. . . about Evewest."

Zuma stepped into the water, wadding deeper into it, and then paddled out into the open water. Once he was a good distance out from the source, Zuma closed his eyes, threw his head back, and howled. But he didn't just stop at a simple howl. Zuma went on, howling a long and complex series of notes, which wove together into a song. It was a sad, mournful song. A song of pain, grief, loss, and desperation. It was a song that desired an answer, and begged for a request.

And then, after several minutes of this howling song, and after a minute of tense silence, Zuma got an answer.

* * *

 _Zuma never forgot about that special underwater rescue, and the friends we all made. He still had a special connection that gave you a big surprise._

 _"It wasn't just a big surprise! It was the biggest, most amazing surprise ever!"_

 _Heh-heh. Yep!_

 _"And you were lucky you had Skye to help you."_

 _Uh-huh! It helped that Skye told me that y-_

 _". . . What?"_

 _Oh, nothing. Just . . . that you liked liver!_

 _"Marshall, you already knew that I liked liver. Everyone did!"_

 _Oh really? Well, I must have been so nervous I forgot! Sorry!_

 _"Well. . . okay. . ."_


	7. 3 Hours With Zuma

**A/N:** _Again, sorry for the long delay. Here we go again!_

* * *

 **3 Hours With Zuma**

 _So, it was a little after 5 o'clock when Everest got down to the beach to meet Zuma, and I don't think she could have ever predicted what was gonna happen there. . ._

* * *

The Sun was starting to get low in the sky as Everest walked along the sandy beach. She had to admit that she liked the feeling of sand under he paws. Sand was something she had never experienced before coming to Adventure Bay, having spent most of her life in the frozen south. In fact, most of her experiences in Adventure Bay were new experiences, and they were experiences that she liked. Everest could honestly say that she preferred living on Jake's Mountain and being a part of the PAW Patrol.

A cool ocean breeze blew in, much to the Husky pup's delight. The breeze also carried an unmistakably familiar voice that shouted, "Ahoy, Evewest! Ovew hewe!"

Everest looked out into the ocean and saw Zuma swimming towards the shore. The chocolate lab ran excitedly towards her and said with a grin, "I'm so glad you'we hewe, Evewest! Twust me when I saw this is gonna be a moment you will newer fowget!"

Everest couldn't help but smile back. Zuma's joy was very infectious. However, she looked around either side of Zuma and out into the open ocean, and she said, "Well, that sounds great, Zuma. But I've seen the ocean before, although where I came from the water is a lot colder. What is it that you want to show me."

Zuma stifled his excited laughter with the back of his forepaw, then he looked back up at Everest and winked. "It's a super secwet suwpwise!"

Everest nodded slowly and said, "Okay, now you got me curious. . ."

Zuma then turned and walked along the beach, stopping at where he had left his paddleboard earlier. He dragged it across the beach towards the water with his teeth, only stopping a moment to look up at Everest and motion for her to follow.

Everest stepped forward onto the moist sand, but hesitated when she got to foamy tide. Back in the antarctic, falling into the icy water meant doom for a pup like her. Therefore, she never exactly fond as swimming. She wasn't as averse to water as Rocky, but she still wasn't a big time swimmer.

"Come on, Evewest!" Zuma called out cheerfully as he hung onto the floating paddleboard a ways out in the water, "The watew feel so awesome! Twust me! Weady, set, get wet!"

Everest looked at the water lapping up on the shore, then she looked over at Zuma, smiled and said, "Sure I trust you, Zuma! Off the trail, Everest won't fail!"

The Husky's courage and bravery overtook her base instincts and she jumped right into the sea. As she quickly paddled towards Zuma and the paddleboard, she began to fully realize how refreshing and just plain good it felt to be in the water. It wasn't icy at all, it was at a temperature that was just pleasing to her. The sensation of being suspended in space felt so freeing to her.

 _"That's another new experience that I liked!"_ Everest thought to herself as she doggy paddled her way through the water, grinning all the while as she floated her way towards Zuma.

"I told ya! Awesome, wight?" Zuma said proudly.

Everest grabbed onto the side of paddleboard and nodded, "You bet!"

"Alwight! In that case, climb on, Evewest, cause I've got a bunch of things to show you!"

* * *

As Everest rested on the paddleboard, Zuma pushed her along the gorgeous shore of Adventure Bay. Under the early evening light, the area seemed to take on an almost magical quality. The lapping of the surf on the shore was almost musical to Everest's ears. The only sound of nature she'd been used to was the howling winds of a blizzard or the cracking of ice. The ocean in Adventure Bay had a much more peaceful tone to it.

"Adventure Bay looks so. . . beautiful from the ocean," Everest said softly.

Zuma nodded and said, "Yeah, and fwagile too. The sea is so big and might and fiewce, and people live and build wight on its edge. It make you think, doesn't it?"

Everest nodded silently.

Then, Zuma turned the paddleboard around and pushed it towards the open ocean.

"Zuma?" Everest asked in confusion, "Where are we going?"

Zuma simply help a forepaw in front of his mouth and said, "Shhhh. . . Secwet. . ."

And so, Everest waited in anticipation as Zuma took them out a good distance from the shore, and even from Captain Turbot's house on Seal Island. Eventually, in the middle of the water, they suddenly stopped.

"We'we hewe," Zuma said as he climbed onto the paddleboard with Everest.

Fully mystified, Everest looked around and asked, "But where's here?"

Zuma smiled mysteriously and said, "Let me tell you a story. . . it's called the Legend of the Mer-pup."

Everest cocked her head in confusion. "Mer-pup?" she repeated.

"A Mer-pup is a pup with the body of a nowmal pup, but the tail of a fish," Zuma explained, "They live deep in the ocean, they speak theiw own mystewious language, and they hide from suwface dwellews." Zuma's eyes glazed over as he stared into space and said, "But most of all, they have this magical, amazing singing voice. . ."

Everest noticed that Zuma was spacing out a bit, and she gently tapped him on the shoulder, "Uh, Zuma? Are you there?"

Zuma snapped out of his trance and said, "Oh, yeah! Um, sowwy. Anyway. . . legend says when the full moon rises exactly at sunset, that makes it a magical Mer-moon, and under the light of the magical Mer-moon, the touch of a Mer-pup can turn you into one for on that night only, and just until the sun rises."

Zuma then sat on his haunches and raised his forelegs high as he recited mystically, "That is the tale, tall or true, and that is the marvelous, maybe even magical, Mer-pup-moon!"

Everest's eyes were wide with wonder at the story, and she said in a hushed tone, "Is the legend. . . true?"

Zuma was silent for a long, tense moment. He stared right into Everest's eyes. Everest stared back, determined not to blink. Then, Zuma grinned and said, "Yes."

This caused Everest to loose the staring contest in shock, and she gasped, "Really?"

Zuma nodded, "Weally, Evewest. You see, the PAW Patrol rescued a Mer-pup once."

Everest jaw dropped, "Really! No way!"

Zuma laid down comfortably on the paddleboard, "Yes way, actually. Let me tell you all about it. . ."

* * *

Everest was completely captivated by Zuma's story. The water rescue pup was very detailed in explaining the events of that magical night, leaving nothing out. He even related the events from the point of view of the pups in the diving bell. Everest felt her imagination run wild when Zuma described how he, Skye, and Rocky were turned into Mer-pups. She laughed when Zuma told her how Skye as a Mer-pup caused Chase to faint. She even felt her heart race a bit when Zuma related how he was trapped inside the sunken ship with time quickly running out. By the time Zuma finished the tale, Everest had felt like she had been a part of the adventure herself.

". . . and that's how the pups saved a Mer-pup!" Zuma concluded with a small smile, looking a bit out of breath himself.

Everest was speechless for a moment, and Zuma looked on, slightly nervous. Everest found her voice eventually, and she said in an awestruck tone, "You are an amazing storyteller!" She then motioned to surrounding ocean and said, "And the setting you picked helped a lot too."

Zuma chuckled and looked away bashfully, "Well, I don't know. . ." Then he looked back up at Everest and asked timidly, "You. . . you believe me, don't you Evewest?"

Everest nodded with certainty and said, "Yes, Zuma. Of course I do. Not that I wouldn't like a good made up story, but I can tell with the details you gave and just the way you spoke that _everything_ you said really happened. You might not have any proof, and I'll probably never see a real Mer-pup, but I believe you Zuma, and I know that Mer-pups are real."

This appeared to fill Zuma with cheer to the point that he was overflowing with it. Then, much to Everest's surprise, Zuma threw back his head and howled. However, it wasn't at all normal howling. There something. . .more to it. It was almost like singing. A sad let sweet, mournful let hopeful, song that seemed to beg for a reply.

As Zuma howled, or sang, Everest suddenly noticed the beautiful sunset in the distance, and realized that Zuma's story had caused her to loose track of the time. But she let all that go as Zuma's howling caught his attention. She wanted to ask why he was howling like this, but something kept her from interrupting him.

Before long, Zuma was finished, and the sea became eerily silent.

Everest was afraid to speak at first, but after about a minute, she couldn't hold it in any long, and she opened her mouth to speak.

 _SPLASH!_

Everest looked up fast as two figures leapt over the paddleboard. She nearly went into shock as the two visitors splashed down on the other side of the paddleboard, and then popped back up out of the water, smiling at her and Zuma.

With wide eyes, Everest took the appearance of the two creatures in. One was bigger than the other once, and they slightly resembled Skye's appearance except they had dark grey and white fur instead of the more golden colors of Skye's fur. Visible through the clear waters were their sideways fish tails that were yellow with a jagged purple stripe around the middle and purple markings on their tail fins. They also wore black collars with pure solid gold pup tags.

"You- you- you're- you are-," Everest stammered out as she looked from one to the other, backing up absentmindedly, "M- Mer- Mer-."

Everest took one step backwards too many and ended up falling into the water. Quick as a flash, the two Mer-pups dived under the water and pulled Everest up to the surface.

Everest looked at the two of them, amazement stamped on her face as she continued to stammer, "I- I- Oh my gosh! This is incredible!"

Zuma smiled with satisfaction and said, "I sang out to them, asking if they'd let a good fwiend of mine see them. Looks like they said yes."

As the baby Mer-pup nuzzled Everest's cheek sweetly, Everest looked up at Zuma with tears of joy in her eyes and said, "Oh Zuma. . .I don't know how to thank you!"

Zuma shook his head and said, "You don't have to. You desewve it Evewest. And. . . well. . .they can't turn you into a Mer-pup like me. Not tonight, anyway. And they kinda have to go, like, soon."

"No problem! I'm more than thrilled enough already!" Everest cheered, then she turned to the mama Mer-pup and said, "Thank you for coming her and letting me see you. And don't you worry. I promise to never tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me."

The Mer-pup smiled at this, and barked out a reply. Then, she rubbed her cheek against Everest's cheek, and dived into the water. The baby followed suit, and just when Everest thought it was over, she suddenly saw the two Mer-pup's leap out of the sea from far away, singing the sweetest song Everest ever heard.

* * *

"That was a moment I'll never forget," Everest said, nearly breathless from pure amazement, as she stepped from the paddleboard and onto the beach.

"Told ya so!" Zuma said.

Everest shook the water out of her fur, and then said, "I can't believe you got them to reveal themselves though."

Zuma grinned and said, "Well, we _did_ save the baby Mer-pup, aftew all!"

Although Zuma was smiling on the outside, the black oil spill of sadness in the ocean of his heart that he had burned off to fuel his sad howl-songs seemed to return bigger and blacker than ever now that the exhilaration of seeing the Mer-pups was over. _"It was mostly because they undewstood the pain of loosing someone very close. . ."_ he thought.

"This day has been _amazing_!" Everest cried out, jumping around energetically, "Short of Jake being here, I couldn't imagine it getting any better than this!"

"Everest!"

Everest and Zuma turned to see Marshall running up towards them. The dalmatian skidded to a halt, accidentally sending sand flying to Zuma's face.

" _Pfft!_ Mawshall!" Zuma cried out in frustration after spitting out sand.

Marshall chuckled nervously and said, "Oops, sorry, Zuma."

Zuma spat out more sand and said, "Oh, it's okay. It was an accident. I gotta put my paddleboawd away. See you two latew!"

As Zuma left rather quickly, Marshall turned his attention to Everest and said, "Okay. . . um, Everest. . . I'd kinda like to . . . ask you something. . ."

* * *

Meanwhile, deep in the open ocean, the little Mer-pup floated up in front of her mother and asked, "(Mama, will that surface pup turn into sea foam?)"

The mother chuckled and shook her head, and explained kindly, "(No, dear. Only Mer-pups turn into sea foam.)"

"(Oh)" the child said, then the little one asked, "(So what do they do when it's time for them to go to the waters above?)"

The mother patted her child on the head and said, "(Now, now, you are too young to think of those things. We have helped a friend, and helped to enrich the life of a friend of our friend. That's all you need to know. Focus on the amazing life that _you_ have, and be happy.)"

The child nuzzled her mother and said, "(Okay, mama! Can we play Find the Clam together now?)"

The mother smiled playfully and asked, "(Did you eat all of your algae?)"

"(Aww, mom!)"

* * *

 _Next is the part where I'm nervous!_

 _" . . . "_

 _Aren't you gonna say anything?_

 _"No spoilers!"_

 _But I just said that-_

 _"I think I'm a better judge of how you exactly were."_

 _. . . So I wasn't nervous?_

 _"No spoilers!"_

 _Oh, alright._


End file.
